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About Brian

Baltimore City

The Encounter is the two-person team of magicians Brian Kehoe and Annie Montone.  We explore stage magic (viewed by many as a "low" art) for its great and inherent storytelling potential.  We seek to create a hybrid of theater and magic that we call "narrative magic."  Narrative magic is a potent blend of traditional magic effects and playwriting, with an aim to create experiences that are part magic show, part theatrical performance.   We find that magic does something for an audience that… more

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Planchette (2015): Is science ever another word for magic?

Planchette was first performed by The Encounter in 2015 at the Carroll Mansion in Baltimore, Maryland.  The touring version of the show was first performed at the Rochester Fringe Festival in 2016.

Planchette was written by Annie Montone in conjunction with Brian Kehoe. It was directed by Deirdre McAllister.

Planchette, the first collaboration between Brian Kehoe and Annelise Montone as The Encounter, explores the painful, fraught, and ancient question of potential communication between the living and the dead.  Presented at the historic Carroll Mansion and invoking nostalgic feelings through the uneasy presence of the Ouija board (native to Baltimore), this narrative, theatrical show uses stage magic as a tool to place purposefully limited audiences at the center of a scientific experiment gone wrong, and asks them to confront the dichotomy of what we want versus what we believe.  

“The Professor is frenetic, passionate about his obsession. His assistant, Dr. Swanson, is cautious, as a scientist should be, but she reluctantly goes along with his increasingly manic and unscripted experiments, within a short time we are riding the edge and receive indications that in fact the spirits are responding to his entreaties, a phantasmagorical ritual is already out of control in this cabinet of curiosities.”
- Daniel Stuelpnagel, What Weekly
  • Max and Sarah promo shot.
    Max and Sarah promo shot.
  • We are activated.
    We are activated.
  • It's almost like it makes them angry.
    It's almost like it makes them angry.
  • Planchette Promo
    A short promotional video for the production.
  • Candle & Wine Glass
  • Planchette pre-press from The Baltimore Sun by Tim Smith.
    Planchette pre-press from The Baltimore Sun by Tim Smith.
  • The board would only mysteriously reply.
    The board would only mysteriously reply.
  • The Fink Method.
    The Fink Method.
  • Emergency protocol 42.
    Emergency protocol 42.
  • Planchette Script Version 2.0- Google Docs.pdf
    Script excerpt from "Planchette," 2015 by The Encounter